Scorpius Malfoy and the Griffin's Claw
by Eagle Mask of Rage
Summary: Scorpio is starting his first year at Hogwarts. From the first train ride, he learns that many will judge him by who his family was, but he will also find friends where he least expects them. His life will not be easy. Soon, Scorpio and his two friends discover that griffin's claw is one of the most powerful magical substances in the world - and someone is not afraid to use it.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey guys! This is my first fan fic, and I absolutely LOVE Draco Malfoy he is the BEST! So I decided to write a story about his son, who by the way looks nothing like he does in the last movie. Sorry this chapter is so long, I couldn't think of a way to split it up so I left it like this.**_

_**Disclaimer: obviously, I did not write HP, and it is not mine. Not mine.  
**_

_**Chapter 1:  
**_

Scorpio couldn't find a seat. Most of the compartments he'd passed on the Hogwarts Express were full, and the ones that weren't had hostile occupants. The noble name of Malfoy had a bad reputation those days. It had once commanded respect and power in the Wizarding world, but since the arrest of Lucius Malfoy and the downfall of the Dark Lord's supporters the Malfoy family had fallen from grace. Scorpius Malfoy was easily recognizable as the son of Draco Malfoy – he had the same blonde hair, pale eyes, and shrewd, pointed face. His frame was thin and lanky, and he was quite tall for his age.

Scorpio managed to lug his heavy trunk all the way to the back of the train, where there were less people to hiss at him as he struggled past the glass compartment doors. Finally, he stopped, panting, outside a door with only one person in it – by the looks of it, another first year. Scorpio sighed in relief and opened the door, peering at the person sitting with his face pressed to the window.

"Hullo! Can I sit here?" He asked brightly. The person jumped and turned around. Scorpio's heart sank. He'd know that face anywhere – it was an almost exact copy of the famous Harry Potter. Untidy black hair, green eyes, straight nose, but no scar. Yep, it was Mr. Potter's son, all right.

To his surprise, the boy's face broke out into a huge grin. "Hi!" He said, almost breathlessly. "Of course you can sit here! I've been sitting here for ages, but no one would stop to introduce themselves or anything." He paused. "I don't really know anyone else who's a first year yet," The boy added a bit shyly. "I'm Albus, but people call me Al. What's your name?"

"Scorpio. Pleased to meet you. You're Mr. Potter's son, aren't you?" Scorpio asked, sitting down across from Al with his trunk next to him.

"Yep. It's weird that everyone calls me 'Mr. Potter's son', and most of them don't even know my name." Al replied. He peered a little more closely at Scorpio. "Hey, you look familiar. Is your dad Mr. Malfoy? I saw him on platform 9 ¾."

Scorpio shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah. I think I saw your dad too." He tried to change the subject. "And I saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Do you know them well?"

Al beamed. "Oh, yes! They come over for dinner loads of times. Their daughter Rosalie – well, we call her Rose – is my cousin, she's a first year too, only I can't find her anywhere. I've checked a bunch of compartments." His face fell slightly. "You haven't seen her, have you? She's got really curly red hair and brown eyes, and she always bosses everyone around."

Looking down at his feet, Scorpio shook his head. In truth, he thought he had seen a girl like Rose somewhere in the middle of the train, but she was in one of the compartments with people who chased him off, so he hadn't really bothered to get a closer look. He also didn't want to tell Al about how most people disliked him for who his father and grandfather were.

"Oh, well." Al sighed. "I'd probably better go look for her, or else she'll find a bunch of new friends and ditch me once we get to the castle. She always does that whenever we meet some new people." He got up somewhat gloomily and disappeared out the door. "I'll be back soon, hopefully!" He called over his shoulder.

"Hopefully," Scorpio muttered. He glanced down at his trunk and heaved a great sigh. "I suppose I'll have to get this on the luggage rack," He said out loud. "Well, here goes nothing."

Scorpio got up on his seat to check if any of Al's stuff was on the luggage rack above his head. It was empty. He tried to lift his trunk up, but it was so heavy that he lost his balance and tumbled onto the floor, hitting his head on the hard edge of the seat. At that exact moment, Al slid open the compartment door again.

"I've found her!" He said proudly. "She was just a few compartments away – wait, what are you doing on the floor?" Al frowned at Scorpio. The latter got up with some difficulty, rubbing his bruised head.

"Nothing," He muttered. "I just fell over."

"Al!" A girl, presumably Rose, pushed Al forward so she could come in too. "I'm not staying in the hallway forever, you know. Oh," She added, catching sight of Scorpio. "What are you doing with _him_?"

"That's Scorpio," Al replied defiantly. "He's my friend. Well, he asked to sit here, anyways, and I said yes."

Rose's eyes narrowed in disgust. "He's a _pureblood._ What's he doing with us lowly half-bloods? Maybe he wants to have a good laugh at us, or maybe he just got the wrong compartment." She said coldly, cutting off Scorpio as he was about to speak.

"I didn't say anything about either of you being half-bloods," He said angrily. "In fact, I was about to ask you where you wanted to sit."

There was a moment's silence. Rose blinked. "Well, don't you dare insult our families for not being purebloods," She said at last. Scorpio ignored the feeble comeback and just rolled his eyes.

"So, d'you want me to help you get your trunk up on the luggage rack, Scor?" Al asked him again. "What?" He added, to Scorpio's raised eyebrows. "I think it sounds cool!" Rose snorted, and Scorpio glared at her.

He nodded, averting Rose's haughty glare. "Sure."

Together, he and Al lifted up the trunk onto the rack. It made a loud banging sound, and the cage that sat next to Al's seat gave a soft "hoot!".

"Is that an owl?" Scorpio asked him curiously. "I don't have one," He explained, seeing Al's question in his eyes.

"What, your father didn't want to waste his money on a little boy like you, when he could be buying up more Dark objects for his manor collection?" Rose smirked. Scorpio straightened up and gave her a contemptuous look. This was the most common rumor and misconception about the Malfoy family. It was time to put a few things straight.

"My father lost almost all his money," He began. "When the Dark Lord was killed by Mr. Potter, his supporters were all rallied up together, counted, identified, and otherwise treated like cattle. I'm not saying some of them didn't deserve it," He added hastily, seeing Rose open her mouth to say something, "I'm just saying that's how it was. Then they were all stripped of their money, power, and status. The worst ones went to Azkaban, like my grandfather, Lucius Malfoy; others were pardoned, like my father. But he was left with nothing. Over the past fifteen years or so, he's started to get some of his money back, because he's a smart, clever and calculating man. But we do not have money to spare on Dark object displays or frivolities like owls, or even a manor, because all our money goes into our… other expenses." Scorpio's father taught him well; he warned his son never to reveal any of their future plans. They may not involve Dark magic or illegal trading, but it was still an unwise move. Everyone had to be treated as a potential enemy.

"Well, that's a heartbreaking story," Rose said, seeming unimpressed. But Scorpio could tell that she had slightly softened to him, now that she knew that he and his father weren't rich, corrupted, power-hungry muggle killers.

Al took the grey cover off the cage, revealing a beautiful tawny owl with a white, heart-shaped face. "It's a barn owl," He explained. "His name is Soren. I named him after this muggle book I read called the Guardians of Ga'Hoole."

"Why would you read muggle books?" Scorpio asked him, puzzled. Rose was the one to answer.

"Our parents agreed that it is important for us to learn basic skills like reading, writing, math, and science in the early years of our life, so that when we go to Hogwarts we aren't totally ignorant of the world. Also, we learned to interact with muggles, and they're really quite interesting. Especially a lot of their books. Can you believe that in the Wizarding world, there are hardly any science fiction or fantasy books? It's ridiculous!" Seeing Scorpio's blank look, she rolled her eyes. "Daddy probably didn't let you learn anything about muggles, did he?" Okay, maybe she hadn't softened her attitude.

Scorpio started to bristle, but before he could reply snappishly, Al cut in. "Hey, give him a break, all right? He can't help who his parents are!" Rose glared at her cousin, but Scorpio almost smiled. That had to be the first time someone stood up for him – well, ever. It wasn't like he had any friends before now, because of his family, and his awful older sister, Juna, who was in her fifth year, acted like she didn't have a brother. She even abandoned him on the platform and ran off with her stupid friends as soon as she got through the barrier.

"It's fine, whatever," Scorpio said out loud. "So what_ is_ fantasy and science fiction?"

"Oh, forget it. You probably wouldn't like it anyways, seeing as you hate muggles."

"I never said that!"

"But-"

Scorpio didn't let her finish. "Just quit making stupid comments about my family! I get it, my father is Draco Malfoy! So what?! I bet you're not identical to your mother, are you? Even though you look a lot like her. Give me a chance to prove that I'm NOT my father!"

Rose eyed him warily. "Calm down."

Scorpio wanted more than anything to punch her in her stupid freckled face, but he remembered what his mother had told him about not hitting girls and always keeping his temper and instead, simply turned away to stare out the window.

After an awkward silence, Al said, "So… you want to play Exploding Snap or something? Or," He brightened, "I have a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans! Want to share?"

"No thanks. I'll read." There was a loud thunk as Al seemed to help Rose get her trunk down, so she could get her books out. Scorpio didn't turn around to look at either of them and remained silent even when Rose said, "I'm reading a fantasty book called Howl's Moving Castle. It's _amazing._ I absolutely _love_ this author. Who is, by the way, a muggle."

"Scorpio?" Al said cautiously. "Do you want some beans?"

Finally, he turned around. "Sure." Scorpio was careful to keep his voice neutral, betraying none of the fury boiling within him at Al's stuck-up cousin.

Al passed Scorpio some brightly colored sweets. "How about a game of Exploding Snap? Or chess? I have a new set, I got it for my birthday in May."

"Chess is fine." Scorpio was actually rather good at chess, although both his mother and father were abysmal players. He had learned from Kimberly Velcrin, senior undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. She had come over to "visit an old friend", but Scorpio knew that she had really been checking for Dark Artifacts. However, she seemed to take an interest in him and had come over a few more times, just to teach the youngest Malfoy some chess. Scorpio wasn't sure why, but it was rather nice.

"Great!" Al went to get out his trunk.

After a few games of chess, Scorpio actually felt better. At least, he forgot about his fight with Rose, until she looked up from her book and asked, "Can I join you?"

Scorpio was tempted to say "What, you're muggle book's too boring?", but then he realized that it was a gesture of forgiveness. He surrendered his seat to her and sat on the floor, next to the board, instead. She smiled at him and sat down.

"Rose isn't that good at chess," Al whispered to Scorpio, grinning. "It's the only thing she still needs practice on. Her mum says it's very good for her to be bad at something."

"Hey! I heard that!" Rose said in mock anger.

The rest of the journey to Hogwarts seemed to fly past all too quickly, in Scorpio's opinion. For the first time, he had friends his age who liked to be with him, and who didn't judge him or expect him to act like his father. Al and Rose were great company, because while Rose was proud and dignified, Al was friendly and easy-going, and they got along fabulously.

As darkness neared, the trio changed into their Hogwarts robes. Scorpio's was a few inches too short, and it exposed his ankle. He hoped that his friends didn't notice. It was only because his mother forgot that he had grown since last April.

"D'you know who the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher is?" Al asked anxiously. "Dad told me Hagrid's retiring this year, he's going back to his gamekeeper's duties."

"No clue." Scorpio said, shrugging. "Do you know any other teachers besides Hagrid? I mean, technically Hagrid's not a teacher anymore, but you know what I mean, I hope."

Al rolled his eyes. "You're starting to sound like Rose. She's always like that."

"Am not!" Rose protested. "I simply enjoy being accurate."

Al gave Scorpio a pointed look. "See what I mean?"

Scorpio laughed as he got his trunk down from the rack. "I bet you'll be the best in our year, Rose."

There was a few moments' silence. Scorpio looked up and saw Al and Rose staring him, Al with disbelief and Rose with smugness.

"Why did you say that?" Al was the first to speak. "Now she'll be so full of herself, you won't believe it! There was that one time when Dad told her she's be smarter than Aunt Hermione, and you won't believe how blown up her head was! She wouldn't stop smirking for _weeks!_"

Rose did a good job of looking offended as they filed out into the corridor. "I did not smirk for weeks! I was just – well, you'd be pleased if someone told you that you were smart, too!" Her cheeks were pink when Scorpio glanced back.

Al half-turned to roll his eyes as Scorpio. "No, I'd take it as a mortal insult. That would mean someone guessed that she and I were related." Even Rose laughed at that.

They finally managed to get off the train. Al looked around with a hopeful expression, as though he expected to spot Hagrid waiting to lead the first years on their traditional journey around the lake. Scorpio's father had told him about the half-giant, but now Scorpio somewhat doubted that his father right about him; he'd been wrong about the Potter and Weasley children, after all, who turned about to be perfectly nice people, not dim-witted half-breed animals.

"First years! First years, this way, please! Follow me!" A voice screeched. It sounded like a bird trying to imitate human speech. The trio looked around wildly, trying to figure out where the awful shriek had come from. A lantern suddenly swung around, practically in their faces. It was not an arm holding it, however, but a beak. Scorpio looked up and saw a pair of fierce yellow eyes staring back right at him. He quickly lowered his gaze and saw two giant eagle-like feet, ending with enormous black claws…

"A griffin," Rose said faintly next to him. "A griffin… my goodness… a griffin is the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

_**A/N: Like the griffin idea? I love griffins, and they were never mentioned in any of the books, so I decided to add them in. Also, I hope I wrote out the scene when Scorpio meets Rose okay - the initial hostility, followed by wary acceptance. Please leave lots and lots of reviews! Updates will be weekly, even more frequent if I can fit them in.  
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	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: What will happen at the Sorting? How will the school react to Professor McGonagall's news? Please leave me reviews, so I can make my writing better!  
**_

The griffin carefully put down the lamp and straightened up to its considerable height again. Scorpio got a closer look at it and decided that it was a female. Something about the way her jet-black feathers gleamed, and the careful grooming of the lion half of her body, suggested that she took a lot of pride in her appearance – something no boy would ever do.

"Are you first years?" The griffin asked in a quieter screech, which was more like a loud scream. Al, Rose, and Scorpio all nodded mutely. "Very well, please follow me. Younglings, hurry up!" She called commandingly. Scorpio saw that behind her had been a small, timid-looking group of first years. To his pleasure, he seemed to be one of the tallest ones there, besides the griffin, which had to be at least seven feet from her front claws to her shoulder.

They followed the sleek black griffin to the equally dark surface of the famed Hogwarts lake. The quarter moon illuminated the sheltered cove in which two or three dozen boats were waiting. All of them got into the small wooden boats, two on each. Al ended up with Rose, while Scorpio discovered (with a sinking heart) that the only space left for him was to squeeze in with the griffin.

"Sorry, dear," She whispered, which sounded like a quiet scream. "I'll row, don't worry." With that, the griffin took up a large paddle with her front claws and started pushing against the water, while the lamp she carried remained in her beak. Left, right, left, right; the splashes soon made Scorpio's tousled hair stick to his forehead. He glanced back and saw more than a few faces smirking up at him. Squirming uncomfortably, he tried to shift into a more comfortable position; his legs were falling asleep from sitting on them.

"You'll be getting your first view of the castle soon," the griffin called, her voice a little muffled from the lamp. Scorpio looked up into her fierce face, with its hooked beak and tiny feathers. Now that he saw her closely, he realized that the griffin was quite beautiful. Perfectly proportioned, the two halves of her body flawlessly blending with each other, even the jet-black color was the same, with not a single tuft of fur or feathers out of place.

There was a general oooohing and aaaaahing as they rounded a bend and entered the lake properly. Ahead, Scorpio could see a magnificent castle, with hundreds of windows sparkling with light and countless turrets all over the roof. Ahead loomed a dark tunnel, shielded by hanging strands of ivy.

"Please duck your heads – the roof is low!" The griffin called. She also bent down, so there was barely any room left in the already crowded little boat. Scorpio got as low as he could. Oh, this is so uncomfortable, he thought with humiliation. Everyone's probably looking at me right now and laughing…

His boat entered the tunnel ahead of the rest. The griffin straightened up again and started paddling with great, broad strokes, so they drew even further ahead. After a few minutes, Scorpio spotted the end of the cave, with a small pebbly beach and another tunnel that had to lead out, and up to the castle's front doors.

The griffin jumped out as soon as the boat's hull bumped the bottom of the lake. She turned rather gracefully and extended a claw to help Scorpio get out. He took it, a little hesitantly, and noticed that it had an ugly red scar where the foreclaw was supposed to be.

"Uh… thanks." He stammered. "Um… what happened to your claw?" Oh, snap, he thought to himself, I must have sounded so rude! Scorpio, you idiot!

"Oh, don't worry about that. It's just an old injury." The griffin stretched her neck up and peered into the gloom, obviously trying to spot the other boats. "Dear me… I'd hoped they'd be a little faster. It's my first time teaching at Hogwarts," She added apologetically. "I used to live up in Iceland – marvelous geothermal baths, by the way – but then I decided to try my hand at teaching, since I'd heard that the famed Hagrid was retiring, and I always was rather good with magical creatures. Well, that makes sense, seeing as I am one," She added, laughing scratchily. "Oh, there they are!"

The rest of the boats were approaching from the darkness. Al and Rose were in front, followed by the rest. They clambered out and grinned at Scorpio, who smiled back weakly. He still wasn't sure if he was ever going to get the smell of wet cat fur out of his nose ever again.

"All right, is everyone here? Okay, please follow me!" The griffin called. She led the way into the tunnel; its slimy round walls were illuminated in the bouncing lantern's light. Scorpio, Al, and Rose followed right behind her, and the rest of the first years followed them, seemingly content to let them be the closest to the griffin.

At last, they reached the front doors, where a young witch with long blonde hair, dimples, and inquisitive hazel eyes was waiting for them.

"Hello, first years! Welcome to Hogwarts!" She beamed down at all of them. "My name is Professor Hiltan, and I am the Transfiguration teacher here. I will be leading all of you into the Great Hall for your sorting. Please follow me." Professor Hiltan then turned to the griffin and said, "Thank you, Elza. That will be all." Scorpio could tell by her slightly distasteful expression that Professor Hiltan disapproved of having a griffin at Hogwarts. His opinion of her lessened slightly, despite her friendly manner.

Once again, Scorpio had to lead the line. He was liking it less and less, but obviously he had no choice, for everyone else was perfectly content to follow him. He looked back and saw Elza retreating down the path to the lake. She glanced back, as though she felt his stare, and he gave a small wave. She blinked with astonishment, but flicked one of her wings in farewell. Scorpio turned back and hurried into the warmth and light of the magnificent entrance hall.

All around him, there were portraits of witches and wizards, and the floor was polished marble. Torches flickered along the wall, and when he looked up, he saw countless marble staircases, shifting every few seconds, and stretching upward to a distant ceiling. Ahead, the doors to what must have been the Great Hall were open in welcome, but Professor Hiltan led them off to a side door, which turned out to belong to an unused classroom; the desks were all shoved to one side.

She turned to face the first years as they filed in. Al and Rose joined Scorpio in the front row. "In a moment, I will call you out, and all of you will form a line. You will walk into the great hall, between the two middle tables – Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw – up to the platform where the staff table is. Then you will walk to the right, up to the edge of the platform, mount the steps, and wait in the same line. I will be placing a three-legged stool with a hat on it right in front of the Headmistress' chair. Then I will call you in alphabetical order, and you will try on the hat, which will direct you to your new house. Now, off you go!"

There was a few moment's hesitation as the people in the back tried to process what they were hearing. Then with a flurry of movement, everyone started to get out of the room again, forming a blockage. Scorpio and his friends hung back, unwilling to join the throng, but Professor Hiltan shepherded them on. Finally, everyone managed to get into the entrance hall and into a straight line.

"All right everyone, please follow me!" Professor Hiltan smiled at them, then led the way through the entrance of the Great Hall and down the steps. The hall was magnificent; the ceiling was a starry midnight blue, exactly like the sky outside, and Scorpio felt like the was in open air. Candles floated above the four House tables, and the staff table was on a raised platform right in front of the line. The first years followed Professor Hiltan between the middle two tables, along the edge of the platform, and up the smaller steps and along the staff table. The teachers and students all eyed them curiously. Scorpio noticed that many of the staff were on the younger side; he guessed that the previous generation of teachers had retired, so new ones had to take their place.

The line stopped abruptly when the first person reached the exact center of the staff table, on the other side of which stood a golden chair with an extremely old and dignified witch sat. She must have been the famed Professor McGonagall, deputy headmistress when Albus Dumbledore was still alive.

Professor Hiltan jumped right off the platform and hurried off again, back to the entrance hall. Scorpio followed her with his eyes, trembling slightly and hating himself for it. He looked to his left and saw Al standing with his eyes closed, seemingly praying. A lot of the older students seemed to be staring at him and whispering to each other. On Scorpio's other side, Rose was whispering to herself, "Please let me be Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, please let me be Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, oh please please please –"

"There's nothing wrong with Slytherins," Scorpio pointed out. Rose jumped and glanced over at him.

"Yes, but my father said that Slytherins are – well, they're, um, mostly cunning and sneaky and… well… a lot of Dark wizards came from there," She finished, blushing. Scorpio frowned and looked away. He knew that his own father had been a Death Eater, but that didn't mean that all Slytherins were bad, and he said so to Rose.

Before she could reply, however, Professor Hiltan had returned, carrying a three-legged stool and a very old, parched hat, with several gaping holes that looked like they had been made from fire. Carefully, she set it down right next to the first person in the first year line and placed the hat on it. Then, she took out a rather long scroll of parchment and began:

"Ahem. As all of you should know, we will be beginning the Sorting of the newly arrived students. However, this year we will have to discontinue the tradition of the Sorting Hat singing a song to the whole school before the Sorting begins, due to the fact that its vocal chords had been damaged when Lord- well, when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named set it on fire. It will still be able to call out the houses, of course, but it feels like it just simply isn't up to singing this year. I'm very sorry." She glanced back at Professor McGonagall, who gave her a sharp nod. "Now, when I call your name, please come up to the stool and place the Sorting Hat on your head!"

"Alche, Thurston!"

A small boy with curly brown hair and terrified blue eyes stumbled up to the stool and placed the Hat on his head. A large tear opened in the Hat's brim, and it shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table to the near left exploded with cheering. Thurston smiled weakly as he took off the hat, dumped it on the stool, and hurried down to join his fellow housemates.

"Carrow, Iris!"

A pretty girl with curly black hair and long eyelashes walked confidently to the stool. As soon as the hat touched her head, it cried, "SLYTHERIN!"

The table to the far right whooped and clapped. Scorpio noticed that the other tables glared at Iris with a mixture of contempt and dislike. He shivered slightly; if an unknown Slytherin was this hated, then how would the school react to the son of Draco Malfoy?

A few more minutes passed, and Arken Divien, Troy Ellis, and Benjamin Halden joined the Slytherins. At last Professor Hiltan called…

"Malfoy, Scorpius!"

**_A/N: Hmmmm... wonder what house he'll be in *grin* he's shown some qualities of a Gryffindor, standing up to Rose and all. And what house will the other two be? It's ok if you don't review, but I'd really appreciate it.  
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	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I hope you like this chapter! It took a while to look up all that info about the Great Hall and the Slytherin dungeon, not to mention thinking of new names =/ but fortunately I'm done now! Enjoy!**_

Scorpio stepped out of the line of first years and walked to the stool where the Sorting hat sat, waiting for him. He gulped nervously and put it on, his hands shaking. The hat's rim fell past his forehead, stopped from falling to his shoulders only by his long nose. Scorpius sat on the stool as a small voice spoke inside his head.

"Well, well, well," it said, "another Malfoy. Oh, hmmmm... you're not like the others, are you? I see cunning and ambition, of course, but there's bravery too, how interesting, and talent - my goodness, you could rival Severus Snape with that head of yours... and he was a genius at potions... mmmh. So, where shall I put you? Slytherin, I daresay? Not Gryffindor, surely?"

Anywhere, Scorpio thought desperately. Slytherin, I dunno!

"If you say so," The voice replied a little dubiously. "then it's SLYTHERIN!"

The last word was shouted out to the waiting crowd. Scorpio pulled the hat off his head, placed it carefully on the three-legged stool, and descended to the Slytherin table to cheering and applause. He was greeted enthusiastically by Michael Higgs, a fourth-year he'd seen on the train, and Iris Carrow. A tall, pale, freckled boy with a mop of dark hair grinned at him and said, "Hey, Scorpius. I'm Troy Ellis; nice to meet you." Scorpio shook the boy's hand, feeling a little surprised at Troy's friendliness, until he remembered that the name of Malfoy should be popular with his fellow Slytherins.

As he sat down at the edge closest to the staff table, Scorpio glanced up at the other first years waiting to be sorted and gave Al a thumbs up. Al grinned back weakly as Professor Hiltan called, "Potter, Albus!"

Harry Potter's son stumbled out of line and walked slowly to the Sorting hat as whispers erupted throughout the hall. Clearly, Al was well-known for who his father was. He jammed the hat on his head and almost immediately it cried,"GRYFFINDOR!"

Scorpio saw Al stumble again, this time with relief instead of nervousness. He glanced up at the line of first years again to find Rose, but another girl drew his attention. He marveled that he hadn't noticed her before; perhaps because her acid-green hair was hidden in a braid that rested on her left shoulder, but would have easily reached the middle of her back. The girl had shrewd, yellow-green eyes, arched eyebrows, and a small nose. Gold earrings glinted in her elfish ears. It was impossible to call her pretty, but she looked... unusual.

"Rayson, Vatawna!"  
The girl stepped out of the line and walked stiff-legged to the stool. She put it on her head, and it was supported by her pointed ears, so everyone could still see her unnerving eyes, flickering across the Great Hall. The whispers that had accompanied Al's sorting returned as everyone got a good look at her braid. Vatawna flicked it back impatiently when she noticed everyone's gaze. After a minute or so, the whispers increased, and Scorpio saw her mouth moving, though he wasn't sure if she was actually making a sound.

At last, the Sorting hat cried, "RAVENCLAW!" The table to the left of Slytherin's, if you looked from the dwindling line of first years, erupted with applause, and Vatawna took the hat off her head and placed it back on the stool. She walked calmly to an empty seat, but Scorpio could see that she was enormously relieved, probably because she was afraid the hat wouldn't make a choice at all.

Scorpio didn't know how long he stared at her, but when he heard "Weasley, Rosaline!" he managed to tear his gaze away to look at his new friend. Unlike the others, she strode confidently to Professor Hiltan and the waiting hat. She placed it on her head and sat down. After a few seconds, the hat shouted, "RAVENCLAW!" Rose grinned and flounced over to Vatawna's table. Scorpio saw Al groan with despair. Now they were all separated in different houses.

Professor McGonagall stood up from her golden throne at the staff table and tapped her empty wineglass with her teaspoon. The gentle tinkling brought the entire student mass to attention in no more than half a second.

"Ahem," She started. A hacking cough shook her, and Professor Hiltan, who had returned to her seat to the headmistress' right, half-stood to help her. But McGonagall straightened up suddenly and glared at everyone, as though daring them to come any closer, and Hiltan quickly sat down again. "Another year has begun at Hogwarts. Before all of you sink into your no doubt delectable feasts, I would like to say a few words." She paused, gauging the room's reaction, but to Scorpio's surprise no one mirrored the irritation he felt at having to delay his dinner; he was starving. The school was completely silent and attentive, kept that way undoubtedly by McGonagall's famed gift of keeping masses of students quiet. "First, I'd like to welcome two new additions to the staff table: Professor Flitwick is, unfortunately, retiring, so Professor Isenmoon will be taking his place as Charms professor and head of Ravenclaw house." The students politely applauded the attractive young brown-haired witch who stood up from her place on McGonagall's left. "Furthermore, Rubeus Hagrid feels that his one hundred plus years are a little too much to continue teaching Care of Magical Creatures class, so Professor Elze will be teaching Care of Magical Creatures this year while Professor Hagrid resumes his gamekeeper duties." Elze stood up from her seated position, and there were a lot more murmurs, including a few shouts, which were quieted by Professor McGonagall's stern glare.

"Now, there were a few other things I'd like to say, but I can see that your insatiable hunger is impossible to resist now, despite my best efforts, so I shall say, 'Let the feast begin!' And no more of that 'oddment tweak' nonsense, either," she muttered audibly as she sat down again.

"What is oddm –" Scorpio started to ask Troy, but his question was forgotten when the gleaming gold plates were suddenly filled with food. Roasted chicken wings, apple crisps, potato chips, French fries, tomatoes, fruit salad, and for some unknown reason lemon drops… all the foods that Scorpio dreamed of were right _there_, waiting for him to sink in. Well, except for the lemon drops. He had no idea why those would be there.

The rest of the feast passed in a daze. When he had eaten all he could, Scorpio felt bloated. But then the food vanished off the golden plates, and dessert took their place… it was madness, heaven, and hell all at once. He wanted to try every single thing in sight, but his stomach screamed in protest. He barely talked to his ten fellow first-year Slytherins, instead preferring to stuff his mouth and listen to the conversations around him. He was so engrossed in Ollie Smith's argument with Ben Halden over whether Quiddich was better than Nine Lives, a wizarding role-playing game, that he totally forgot that there was still an end-of-feast speech to suffer through, as well as comfortable beds waiting for him in the dungeons below the castle.

"Ahem." The preliminary cough was quite soft, yet it held such authority that it seemed to reverberate across the Great Hall. The student body immediately became quiet as Professor McGonagall stood up.

"Now, a few more announcements, two of them very important, so I suggest you lot listen up carefully. First, there had been a major change in the school education policy. A new subject has been added to the school curriculum, called Healing, and it will become available to those in third year who get to choose their electives. As a result, Care Of Magical Creatures will become a mandatory subject, starting with first year, along with Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, and Astronomy." There was a general groan of despair. Scorpio couldn't blame the other students; another subject meant even more homework, and there was the matter of that strange griffin…

"Furthermore," Professor McGonagall continued forcefully, "Professor Trelawney, the Divination teacher, will be taking on a so-called seer apprentice: Parvati Patil." There was a smattering of applause as a thin, stooped woman obscured with beaded scarves, shawls, and oversized glasses stood up. She looked like a glittering dragonfly. A young, dark-skinned Indian woman with her hair done in a plait also rose to her feet, to much louder and more boisterous applause. A few daring seventh year boys gave wolf whistles, and Parvati Patil blushed slightly.

"Ahem." Again, the noise level quieted down immediately. Professor Trelawney and Parvati took their seats next to Professors Hiltan and Isenmoon again. "Now, a few less important announcements. Quiddich trials will be held in the next two to three weeks; please see your captains for details. Also, the caretaker, Argus Filch, would like to remind you that…"

Professor McGonagall's voice droned on and on. Scorpio found himself glancing at the Ravenclaw table more and more often. He couldn't seem to stop staring at Vatawna's neon green hair; it was mesmerizing. The floating candles flickered, making light dance across her braid…

A great scraping and banging noise roused Scorpio from his daydreams. Troy pulled him to his feet, grinning slightly. "Dozed off, didn't you?" He asked. "I almost did, but Iris kept me awake." Iris nodded at Scorpio, smiling coyly. He tried hard not to stare.

"First years, please follow me!" A commanding voice called out. Troy, Iris, and Scorpio looked around and saw a tall, blonde Slytherin girl, presumably a prefect, calling for them to join her. They filed into line (to his annoyance, he was first again) and followed her into the entrance hall and down some stone steps. A damp, chilly smell wafted out from the dungeons, and Scorpio shivered involuntarily.

Left, right, right, left, down a long hallway, left again. At last they stopped in front of a plain blank stretch of wall no different from any other segment of wall down the hallway. However, when the prefect leaned against it and said loudly and clearly, "Faerie Dragon," the wall simply melted away, revealing a stone corridor lit by eerie greenish lamps.

"Now, listen up carefully," The prefect called over the mutterings of the first years. "In the past, the passwords used to have something to do with purebloods and Salazar Slytherin. In recent years, however, following the demise of the Dark Lord, the Slytherin policy has – er – _changed._" She made a face. _"_Now, the main focus is different species of dragons and serpents. A new password will be posted every fortnight on the notice board. In your first days, you may find it hard to locate the common room – but being intelligent, although a Ravenclaw trait, is also in abundance in Slytherin. At least, it _should _be, although looking at you lot, one casts this into doubt." She pulled another face and turned back to the stone corridor, leading the way through.

"Well, she's not very nice," Iris whispered, leaning over to Troy and Scorpio. "I hope not all of them are like that. Although I do agree with what she said – 'faerie dragons', pshh! Better to get back to the pureblood ways, eh?" She winked at Scorpio, who smiled weakly back in response, hoping she couldn't tell that the hairs on the back of his neck prickled uncomfortably. This was what he'd been afraid of: his fellow Slytherins thought that because he was a Malfoy, he had to be some kind of pureblood saint who hated muggle-borns, half-bloods, and blood traitors like the rest of his family.

"Come along, don't tarry, I don't want to wait around in this cold dungeon!" The prefect yelled through the tunnel. Scorpio jumped and hurried through, Iris and Troy following close behind.

"Finally," She scolded as the three of them emerged into a grand room. Scorpio was too busy gaping at everything to pay attention to the prefect. His gaze travelled through the room, alighting on the majestic marble carvings on the walls, the tall, arched windows looking out at the murky waters of the lake, and the black sofas and cushions arranged throughout the room. A thick, plush green-and-silver carpet covered the stone floor, and there were many niches with small statues, carvings, or artifacts. Scorpio spotted a skull and a withered old hand and shuddered. Clearly Slytherin's reputation as a dark house wasn't all rumor.

"All right, first years, this is the Slytherin common room. You'll be spending most of your time here, doing homework, socializing, and whatever. The room was recently expanded, so if you go through those marble doors you'll see a study hall sort of room. The fire is strictly off limits for flooing or magic, so don't try to contact anyone or travel like that without explicit permission from Professor Vrella – you'll see her soon, she's the Potions master and the Head of Slytherin House. Dormitories are through those two wooden doors, there are steps behind them. First years on the bottom, each year you'll be moving up one level, but all the dormitories are identical so it doesn't matter. Classes start tomorrow, be down at breakfast sharpish – around 8:30, I'd say – for your course schedules." The prefect paused. "Breakfast's from 8 to 10, lunch from 12 to 2,

"All right, any questions?"

None were forthcoming. Scorpio looked around and saw a couple of people yawning or talking with their friends. He smirked to himself – they were the ones who'd get confused tomorrow morning. Fortunately Iris and Troy were smart enough to pay attention.

"All right. Bulletin board's next to the entrance, no boys allowed in the girls' dormitory, don't open the windows unless you have a death wish – and even then I don't recommend it – and have a nice life!" With a cheery roll of her eyes, the prefect vanished through the door marked with the sign "Girl's Dormitories".

There was a moment as everyone who hadn't been paying attention looked around, trying to figure out where the prefect had gone. Scorpio, Iris, and Troy wasted no time: all of them quickly crossed the room and disappeared through their dormitory doors. The two boys wished Iris a good night and ascended the spiral stairs. After one landing, they saw the door with the sign "First Years" and went in cautiously.

The room was not very exciting. It was quite large, that's true, and there was a bookcase, a nightstand, and an old-fashioned wardrobe for every four-poster bed. Troy cautiously pushed open a door immediately to the left of the door; Scorpio opened the one on the right. Both turned out to be bathrooms. The beds were arranged more or less in two rows facing each other, with a straight aisle from the door to the two windows on the far end. Troy and Scorpio wasted no time in claiming the two beds next to the dark black voids. Surprisingly, their trunks were already next to those beds.

"I really should brush my teeth before I go to bed," Scorpio said forlornly as he opened his trunk, revealing a neatly organized interior. He and Troy exchanged glances and grinned.

"But I won't," They chorused together.

Still smiling, Scorpio changed into his pajamas and sank into the unbelievably soft silver mattress. He drew the tattered silk covers around his bed and sank into sleep as the other boys entered the room, chattering. Their voices sounded like the distant lapping of the lake's water.

_**A/N: "lapping of the lake's water" comes from Harry Potter wikia, which states that the Slytherins fall asleep to the lapping of the lake's water against the windows.**_

_**Please review if you have time!**_


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